When I’m on my highest horse, I say,
No, I don’t enter competitions.
There are too many others who can use
the low prize money more than I can.
But secretly I think it might be nice
to be able to brag on a gold star
once in a while,
to walk to a podium with a mic
and thank the panel of judges,
say some kind words about
the others who made the short list,
act all humble and shit,
and smile shyly like I deserved to win.
But there would be back-biters,
harborers of ill will and jealousies,
and I wouldn’t know who they were
or what they said.
I’d just know they were there
and that some of them were right.
Maybe dreams are the safest places for winners.
About the Author
Gregg Norman is a Canadian poet whose work has been accepted by Lothlorien Poetry Journal, Dark Winter Literary Journal, Borderless Journal, Fixator Press, Adelaide Literary Magazine, and many others in Canada, the USA, the UK, Australia, and India.
